Changing "g-b-e" strings vs whole set

[Plendakor]

Well, I just thought I'd do that once and well, the 3 strings cost me 1.48$ while a 6 strings pack would cost like what, 5 or 6.99$

Sometimes I feel like my wounded strings can still take a beating, they sound and feel alright.. But the plain strings, especially when that dude who comes see us jam is there and smoke cigarettes, they feel all sticky.

I always changed all my strings but I think i'll buy a few of those plain strings.. 3 strings don't take much time to change and it feels great.

Anybody doing this or am I crazy ? Cause 7$ for a pack every 2 weeks is 15$ a month and 180$ a year. My 7th string, a .070 low B, I change it every 2 packs.

Yeah this is not a blog so discuss

 

[JeffTD]

My wound strings go dead/sound/feel like shit way faster than my unwound strings. If I'm just jamming or writing on a guitar, I won't change the strings for a month or more depending on how often I play. The only time I go crazy changing strings often is for recording.

 

[bryan_kilco]

I'm pretty sure my strings have been on my axe for like 4 months now, maybe longer. If I'm not playing shows or recording something serious, I like to play them until they are completely dead and save at least some $.

 

[Plendakor]

Yeah I used to do that but I can't stand not having my precise setup. Harmonics have to be set at all time but dirt fuck them up

 

[NoSoup4you22]

I feel like the wound strings suffer more from age... When I'm not recording though I hardly ever change them. More out of laziness than cheapness.

 

[hurdy]

Do this: Record a riff with your old strings before you replace them with new ones
Then, record the same riff with new strings.
The difference is always there, old strings = dull tone
If you wana put up with a dull tone, then yea go hard and replace jst individual strings to save money
I always replace the whole set of strings... especially if Im recording heaps, or jamming out often

 

[Plendakor]

my wound strings are not old..

The other day, I installed my new strings and went jam, then they were all sticky. I'm not gonna change strings everyday

 

[hurdy]

The original post is about changing strings so I assumed you were replacing OLD strings
Whats your idea of old strings?? 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months??
If your wound strings are not old, then your plain strings are not old either, right??
You could try wipe your strings off with a rag after jamming out to get rid of that stickyness
Could be the humidity making them sticky, store in a case with silica gel to extract the moisture off your guitar

 

[Drummerrrrr?]

Wow, where do you buy strings from? I pay $15 AUD a set!

 

[Plendakor]

i work at a store and get them for 4-5$ but we sell those for 5.99$ sometimes 6.49$ CAD lol (Ernie Ball)

But yeah, the problem is not that they are old, it's the old guy smoking cigarettes at the rehearsal place.. he's friendly but only comes to listen to us and drink.. i sometimes feel like leaving the band because of that, I use that same guitar to record and it pisses me off when smoke gets on my gear (im an ex smoker tho)